Why sub-saharan Africa's development matters

For some of my regular readers, you know m interest in sub-saharan Africa (specifically Sudan/South Sudan) -- goes back quite a while and continues even today.

The ongoing civil war in South Sudan keeps me from visiting my friends in South Sudan, Kenya and Uganda, however, I remain in communication (to the extent possible) with friends in/out of the country. The situation is grim (violence, health concerns, food shortages, persecution, etc.,) -- and most of the problems are self-inflicted because of weak regional governance and human interventions.

The pictured chart associated with this post demonstrates (clearly to me) the strong correlation between weak economies, weak governance and poor health (in this case eyesight).

The 10-40 window (referring to those countries between 10 and 40 degrees latitude) represents the greatest opportunity for improvement of the human condition and, at the same time, the most neglected areas of development. These same regions confound Western political leaders with rampant political radicalism, violence and host of other maladies. Not all countries are faltering. Kenya, for example, has experienced relative stability in the past few years and is associated with dramatic improvements in development, health and stability (not withstanding the risks associated with the recent election results that are really putting the country on shaky ground).

We can be better.

Association of Socioeconomics With Prevalence of Visual Impairment and Blindness